New Dune Movie In The Works

Apr 4, 2008 (Click to Rate!) Loading ...

This post is for all the Dune fans out there (tdod!), looks like a new Dune movie is in the works (IMDB Link):

the producers have secured the rights to the Dune novel from Frank Herbert’s estate and are looking for writers to provide a screenplay that is true to the original text.

So yea… if the David Lynch one made your brain break, hopefully this one will be a little less… randomly nonsensical for folks that didn’t read every single Dune book, and hopefully more main stream…

MOR-DEEEEEP!

BTW, for folks that never watched it. Apparently (according to FOLKS), the Lynch Dune movie was good, and the 2-part mini series was teh suck. So if you want to check it out, rent the Lynch one with Kyle MacLachlan in it.

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David Lynch, Dune, Movie

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Riyad Kalla - who has written 1727 posts on The “Break it Down” Blog.

"Ultimately I just want to provide a resource that folks find useful."

16 Comments For This Post

tdod Says:
April 14th, 2008 at 11:13 am

Well, I think many fans would disagree with “FOLKS” view that the Lynch movie was good. Of course, anything DUNE related is sure to bring out fanatics who loved the movie, but I think the general consensus is that the scifi version was marginally better than the movie (supported by IMDB voting).

I am one of the wierdos that just like both of them — flaws and all — because I loved the books. However, this does not mean I think the movies were great. Both prior movies leave the door wide open for a better movie to be made.

aried Says:
June 12th, 2008 at 11:43 pm

I would rather see them continue the scifi mini series idea and make the last couple of dune books then yet another remake of the first book. I would gladly buy the DVDs for that. I am not sure if I really think it is worth it to spend the money on the first one again.

Riyad Kalla Says:
June 13th, 2008 at 4:33 am

Has the first one ever been done *well* before though? Lynch’s was interesting I suppose, but almost too weird to completely enjoy.

I did hear the mini series was good, but a bit aged now… I wonder if with some spruced up visual it could be made into the epic story that it always was?

Brandon Says:
July 30th, 2008 at 10:18 am

I don’t think that either portrayal of the books was done too well. The older movie had too many things that went in the wrong direction from the book and the new sci-fi series did a better job at the story but failed to bring to view the amazing visuals of the Dune universe. Maybe with a good director, and writer at the helm and some money for effects, they could make dune the masterpiece that it really is.

Vorian Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 10:06 pm

Despite it’s many shortfalls, the look and feel of the Lynch version was in many ways outstanding. I remember being very surprised and quite pleased that so much of the imagery in the movie matched nearly perfectly with what I had imagined when reading the book. Stand alone, it’s not a bad movie, though it no doubt took some thought to try and put it all together if you hadn’t read the book. On the positive side, it no doubt inspired many to read the book. It inspired me to read it for a second time, and to finally finish the whole series. I agree with many, the Sci-Fi channel version wasn’t terrible either, and it was gratifying to see them stick quite close to the story. So much of it was visually disappointing though, with very cheesy un-epic action scenes unworthy of the epic scope and scale of the Dune Mini-Series as a whole. Casting left a lot to be desired as well. Ditto for The Children Of Dune Mini-Series. All of that said, now, as I work my way back through the whole series, this time starting with the 6 (yes SIX) prequels written by F.H.s son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, I find myself wishing that this series, difficult as it is to bring to the screen, could get a Star-Wars like treatment, including the amazing prequels, which are based on Frank Herbert’s extensive back-story notes and unfinished works. For those who may turn up their noses at the sons work, thinking themselves purists, I highly, highly recommend thinking twice about that and going back through the whole series, starting with The Butlerian Jihad. The continuity is perfect, and so much that was mysterious and only very lightly touched on in the original Dune series is explained in much detail. Yes, I know, some die-hards may wish to flay me for even suggesting it, arguing that the prequels and the two most recent books finishing up the original series are not part of official Dune canon. To them I would say, “Good storytelling is good storytelling”, and then I would suggest that they take themselves and fiction too seriously, along with their overinflated sense of fandom. At any rate, even if you consider yourself a die hard purist who will never accept books written by the son as part of the “Official Dune Canon”, but you haven’t read these additional volumes yet, I would still highly suggest reading them anyway. They are outstanding fiction, no matter what else they may be. Be prepared for a lot of reading though, 14 books in all if you go back and read the original series in it’s proper place within the 10’s of thousands of years time line.
I for one would be ecstatic to see The Butlerian Jihad made into not just a full length theatrical release, but perhaps two, or at the very least a high budget well treated mini-series. It deserves to be brought to the screen, (if done properly). As for a new screen version of Dune, bring it on, and please do it right this time (think “Epic”), and furthermore, think “A full franchise that rivals Star Wars”.

Thirsty men speak of water, not of women.
— Zensunni Fire Poetry from Arrakis

entactogen Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 8:11 am

Though I´d love to see a good adaptation for screen I´m quite skeptical about such a project. It would require an effort at least of the scale of “The Lord of the Rings”, certainly greater if you want to bring the whole story on screen.
I think the biggest problem is the fact that what makes the books so exceptionally great (at least as far as I´m concerned) are the detailed expositions of the internal processes of the characters.
Lynch tried to accomodate this by having their thoughts read out loud, the sci-fi version did not bother and reduced the characters to 2 dimensional clowns (Baron Harkonnen!) and weirdos.
A good Dune movie would have to be subtler and rely on the intelligence of the audience.
However, subtlety seems to be in contradiction with the money the movie would have to make to get back the investment necessary to recreate the Dune universe.

Riyad Kalla Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 4:07 pm

entactogen,

As a fan of the book which of the two existing Dune movies did you prefer, was the Lynch one (in your estimation) the better movie as well?

entactogen Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pm

I love Lynch in general, but I think he should have turned down Dune as he did Star Wars 3 (and I think I remember that Lynch agrees).
That said I´d still prefer it to the Sci-Fi – Version, mostly because his movie has great actors in it. Sian Phillips as Mohian is definately fixed in my mind when reading the book.
I must admit that I can hardly remember the sci-fi version of the first book – I thought the story-telling was somewhat better, but somehow nothing impressed me really. What really ruined the new movies for me where the depictions of some of the charcters. Sadistic, dark Baron Harkonnen as some kind of Harlekin, Alia as pretty regular conflicted woman and – maybe worst of all – the 9 year old twins with their “total” consciousness as two nice teenagers you could easily imagine in an american college movie. None of the actors in anyway conveyed the uniqueness and depth of those characters.
Which one do you prefer and why?

Riyad Kalla Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 5:48 pm

I’ve actually only seen the lynch version of the movie and it melted my brain… it *seemed* like the most random thing ever (I knew nothing about the Dune books going in) — after I got done I got a bit of a debriefing on Dune from a friend that was really into it and realized how much more depth there was there.

I think I’d like the books a lot, the movies… well I liked how dark and twisted the Lynch one was… but wished it had been of higher fidelity.

entactogen Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 3:20 am

If you haven´t read the books yet and you enjoy having your brain melted I strongly suggest to get right on it

Riyad Kalla Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 5:01 am

haha, top of my list!

Are the Dune books an easy read or hard like say The Hobit? I love Sci-Fi, so they are right up my alley, but if they are harder reads I’ll probably find myself defaulting to something more enjoyable before bed.

entactogen Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 6:34 am

Hard to say… I think the story itself can be read and enjoyed easily by anyone who is interested in it. But apart from the stoy itself Dune also contains a lot of food for thought regarding general themes of ecology, philosphy, religion, politics and science which might be difficult depending on your background and interests.
Herbert also leaves a lot to the readers imagination, especially as far as the “strangeness” of many of the characters is concerned – for example I´d say that it is much more difficult to imagine the mind of a “Reverend Mother” than a Hobbit. But to me those challenges to my imagination are what make the books so much fun to read.

I do agree with the Poster “Vorian” that one should embrace the books published by FH´s son and K.Anderson because their books make the story “whole”. If you choose to read the books I´d recommend the following order:
First read the Books by Frank Herbert in sequence (Dune 1 – 6)
Then read the first three prequels (Butlerian Jihad/Machine Crusade/Battle of Corrin) and then the “Great Finale” Dune 7 and 8.

If you make it that far you are probably addicted and won´t be able to not read the other prequels to get your fix

Riyad Kalla Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 8:53 am

entactogen,

Thanks for spelling out the preferred ordering. I’ve added this to my list of “must read or I’ll die” books, the Foundation series is on there too… apparently I’m a real douche for not having read that series yet as well

entactogen Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

The order is important but I can´t tell you the reason without spoiling you
I´d be interested to hear what you think about the books – would be great if you post something about it here. Anyway, I´m sure you´ll enjoy it.

dan Says:
November 14th, 2009 at 2:29 pm

The Dune movie [by Lynch] is without a doubt the best science fiction movie ever made, ever. Characters, plot, atmosphere ,music [especially the music] . The only reason the movie is not globally recognised as a work of art is that most people are too stupid to appreciate/understand it, and maybe havent read the book[which is also awesome].
Machine crusade would be good as a movie ,kinda like transformers minuus the cheeziness and comedy plus heaps more gritty violence and blood, erasmus torturing humans and stuff like that …

Riyad Kalla Says:
November 19th, 2009 at 6:01 pm

Dan, I watched the Lynch movie *years* ago, hated it, was totally confused. Then recently I read the book and rented it and re-watched it and loved how true to the material it was… it made a lot more sense that time through and I really appreciated the creative effort Lynch and his team put forth trying to realize a very complex world and history that is Dune. +1 from me.

tdod Says:
April 14th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Well, I think many fans would disagree with “FOLKS” view that the Lynch movie was good. Of course, anything DUNE related is sure to bring out fanatics who loved the movie, but I think the general consensus is that the scifi version was marginally better than the movie (supported by IMDB voting).

I am one of the wierdos that just like both of them — flaws and all — because I loved the books. However, this does not mean I think the movies were great. Both prior movies leave the door wide open for a better movie to be made.
aried Says:
June 12th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I would rather see them continue the scifi mini series idea and make the last couple of dune books then yet another remake of the first book. I would gladly buy the DVDs for that. I am not sure if I really think it is worth it to spend the money on the first one again.
Riyad Kalla Says:
June 13th, 2008 at 4:33 am
Has the first one ever been done *well* before though? Lynch’s was interesting I suppose, but almost too weird to completely enjoy.

I did hear the mini series was good, but a bit aged now… I wonder if with some spruced up visual it could be made into the epic story that it always was?
Brandon Says:
July 30th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I don’t think that either portrayal of the books was done too well. The older movie had too many things that went in the wrong direction from the book and the new sci-fi series did a better job at the story but failed to bring to view the amazing visuals of the Dune universe. Maybe with a good director, and writer at the helm and some money for effects, they could make dune the masterpiece that it really is.
Vorian Says:
November 16th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Despite it’s many shortfalls, the look and feel of the Lynch version was in many ways outstanding. I remember being very surprised and quite pleased that so much of the imagery in the movie matched nearly perfectly with what I had imagined when reading the book. Stand alone, it’s not a bad movie, though it no doubt took some thought to try and put it all together if you hadn’t read the book. On the positive side, it no doubt inspired many to read the book. It inspired me to read it for a second time, and to finally finish the whole series. I agree with many, the Sci-Fi channel version wasn’t terrible either, and it was gratifying to see them stick quite close to the story. So much of it was visually disappointing though, with very cheesy un-epic action scenes unworthy of the epic scope and scale of the Dune Mini-Series as a whole. Casting left a lot to be desired as well. Ditto for The Children Of Dune Mini-Series. All of that said, now, as I work my way back through the whole series, this time starting with the 6 (yes SIX) prequels written by F.H.s son Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, I find myself wishing that this series, difficult as it is to bring to the screen, could get a Star-Wars like treatment, including the amazing prequels, which are based on Frank Herbert’s extensive back-story notes and unfinished works. For those who may turn up their noses at the sons work, thinking themselves purists, I highly, highly recommend thinking twice about that and going back through the whole series, starting with The Butlerian Jihad. The continuity is perfect, and so much that was mysterious and only very lightly touched on in the original Dune series is explained in much detail. Yes, I know, some die-hards may wish to flay me for even suggesting it, arguing that the prequels and the two most recent books finishing up the original series are not part of official Dune canon. To them I would say, “Good storytelling is good storytelling”, and then I would suggest that they take themselves and fiction too seriously, along with their overinflated sense of fandom. At any rate, even if you consider yourself a die hard purist who will never accept books written by the son as part of the “Official Dune Canon”, but you haven’t read these additional volumes yet, I would still highly suggest reading them anyway. They are outstanding fiction, no matter what else they may be. Be prepared for a lot of reading though, 14 books in all if you go back and read the original series in it’s proper place within the 10’s of thousands of years time line.
I for one would be ecstatic to see The Butlerian Jihad made into not just a full length theatrical release, but perhaps two, or at the very least a high budget well treated mini-series. It deserves to be brought to the screen, (if done properly). As for a new screen version of Dune, bring it on, and please do it right this time (think “Epic”), and furthermore, think “A full franchise that rivals Star Wars”.

Thirsty men speak of water, not of women.
— Zensunni Fire Poetry from Arrakis
entactogen Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Though I´d love to see a good adaptation for screen I´m quite skeptical about such a project. It would require an effort at least of the scale of “The Lord of the Rings”, certainly greater if you want to bring the whole story on screen.
I think the biggest problem is the fact that what makes the books so exceptionally great (at least as far as I´m concerned) are the detailed expositions of the internal processes of the characters.
Lynch tried to accomodate this by having their thoughts read out loud, the sci-fi version did not bother and reduced the characters to 2 dimensional clowns (Baron Harkonnen!) and weirdos.
A good Dune movie would have to be subtler and rely on the intelligence of the audience.
However, subtlety seems to be in contradiction with the money the movie would have to make to get back the investment necessary to recreate the Dune universe.
Riyad Kalla Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
entactogen,

As a fan of the book which of the two existing Dune movies did you prefer, was the Lynch one (in your estimation) the better movie as well?
entactogen Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I love Lynch in general, but I think he should have turned down Dune as he did Star Wars 3 (and I think I remember that Lynch agrees).
That said I´d still prefer it to the Sci-Fi – Version, mostly because his movie has great actors in it. Sian Phillips as Mohian is definately fixed in my mind when reading the book.
I must admit that I can hardly remember the sci-fi version of the first book – I thought the story-telling was somewhat better, but somehow nothing impressed me really. What really ruined the new movies for me where the depictions of some of the charcters. Sadistic, dark Baron Harkonnen as some kind of Harlekin, Alia as pretty regular conflicted woman and – maybe worst of all – the 9 year old twins with their “total” consciousness as two nice teenagers you could easily imagine in an american college movie. None of the actors in anyway conveyed the uniqueness and depth of those characters.
Which one do you prefer and why?
Riyad Kalla Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I’ve actually only seen the lynch version of the movie and it melted my brain… it *seemed* like the most random thing ever (I knew nothing about the Dune books going in) — after I got done I got a bit of a debriefing on Dune from a friend that was really into it and realized how much more depth there was there.

I think I’d like the books a lot, the movies… well I liked how dark and twisted the Lynch one was… but wished it had been of higher fidelity.
entactogen Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 3:20 am
If you haven´t read the books yet and you enjoy having your brain melted I strongly suggest to get right on it
Riyad Kalla Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 5:01 am
haha, top of my list!

Are the Dune books an easy read or hard like say The Hobit? I love Sci-Fi, so they are right up my alley, but if they are harder reads I’ll probably find myself defaulting to something more enjoyable before bed.
entactogen Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 6:34 am
Hard to say… I think the story itself can be read and enjoyed easily by anyone who is interested in it. But apart from the stoy itself Dune also contains a lot of food for thought regarding general themes of ecology, philosphy, religion, politics and science which might be difficult depending on your background and interests.
Herbert also leaves a lot to the readers imagination, especially as far as the “strangeness” of many of the characters is concerned – for example I´d say that it is much more difficult to imagine the mind of a “Reverend Mother” than a Hobbit. But to me those challenges to my imagination are what make the books so much fun to read.

I do agree with the Poster “Vorian” that one should embrace the books published by FH´s son and K.Anderson because their books make the story “whole”. If you choose to read the books I´d recommend the following order:
First read the Books by Frank Herbert in sequence (Dune 1 – 6)
Then read the first three prequels (Butlerian Jihad/Machine Crusade/Battle of Corrin) and then the “Great Finale” Dune 7 and 8.

If you make it that far you are probably addicted and won´t be able to not read the other prequels to get your fix
Riyad Kalla Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 8:53 am
entactogen,

Thanks for spelling out the preferred ordering. I’ve added this to my list of “must read or I’ll die” books, the Foundation series is on there too… apparently I’m a real douche for not having read that series yet as well
entactogen Says:
December 16th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
The order is important but I can´t tell you the reason without spoiling you
I´d be interested to hear what you think about the books – would be great if you post something about it here. Anyway, I´m sure you´ll enjoy it.
dan Says:
November 14th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
The Dune movie [by Lynch] is without a doubt the best science fiction movie ever made, ever. Characters, plot, atmosphere ,music [especially the music] . The only reason the movie is not globally recognised as a work of art is that most people are too stupid to appreciate/understand it, and maybe havent read the book[which is also awesome].
Machine crusade would be good as a movie ,kinda like transformers minuus the cheeziness and comedy plus heaps more gritty violence and blood, erasmus torturing humans and stuff like that …
Riyad Kalla Says:
November 19th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Dan, I watched the Lynch movie *years* ago, hated it, was totally confused. Then recently I read the book and rented it and re-watched it and loved how true to the material it was… it made a lot more sense that time through and I really appreciated the creative effort Lynch and his team put forth trying to realize a very complex world and history that is Dune. +1 from me.

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